If Braids Could Kill
by NewtypeS3
Summary: This is Duo Maxwell's 'self-written' autobiography, edited by S3. Need I say more? Chapter 4 now up.
1. Introduction by the Editor

**An Introduction by the Editor:  
**  
When Mr. Maxwell first approached me about a year ago, he was wondering if he could make some cash off his experiences somehow - like Mr. Quatre Winner did with his series of self-help books.  
  
When I explained to Mr. Maxwell that writing a book - any book - would take a long time, he almost walked out the door. But, then CBS announced that they would be airing a TV movie based on the Eve Wars of 195AC and 196AC. Knowing that CBS would mess it up worse than a Floridian election, he ran back - manuscrpit in hand.  
  
After several days of figuring out what the crayon scribbled on toilet paper really read, I went ahead and pitched his story to the publishing branch of S3 Industries - who approved it.  
  
Anyway, after days of negotiations, Mr. Maxwell recieved his pre-writing pay, and hacked out the remainder of his story.  
  
Personally, I would not be suprised if Mr. Maxwell embelished a bit - or out-and-out lied...  
  
Anyway, it is not my place to judge, only to edit.  
  
I hope this was worth your money.  
  
S3, the Demon Godling  
  
---  
  
Ok, if you couldn't figure it out above, this is Duo Maxwell's autobiography. That means it's Wing from his POV - after the fact of the wars.  
  
Because I'm treating this as an actual novel, anything like thanks and so forth will be in the Aknowledgments chapter when I end this... And most likely down here, with some other notes...  
  
And, as a side-note... I'm using the manga for the most part on this fanfic. Mainly because that Maxwell's memory should be kinda fuzzy in places - but I'll be using the anime for other places where Duo's the main character.  
  
Oh, and if you wanna do what Bandai does now, and skip the upgrades (Wing Zero, Deathscythe Hell, Heavyarms with the double gattlling, Sandrock with the Uzi, and Altron) - going straight to the Custom models, let me know in the reviews.  
  
S3


	2. Introduction by the Author

**Prelude by the Author:**

Heya! My name's Duo, Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie. Most of you probably have no clue who I am – that's ok.

See, a few years ago, I took part in a war – one that shook Earth to the very core.

But, that wasn't for a while. It's not like I was bred specifically for doing war.

Anyway, it really began for me in the year 195 AC.

er...

Crap – I guess I should probably explain the current time style, eh?

Essentially, around the year 2099 AD, the governments of Earth decided that the population of the Earth was growing out of control – and that space colonization was the best bet for Humanity's future. In short, the year 2100 AD became year 1 of the AC, or After Colony, era.

Basically, humanity began to build cities – or colonies – miles across in space.

Around 50 AC, the Earth's fossil fuels went bone dry. The Middle East, the only area to avoid the colony construction was now broke. With 3 colonies half done, and several others being planned, all of Earth was now in on the space colony plan.

In the year 102 AC, the first colony was finished. Soon after, the governments of earth congealed into one nation – the United Earth Sphere Alliance. Meanwhile, the colony construction continued with no interference.

After about 30 years, the colonies that were completed wanted to become their own nation, electing a man named Heero Yuy to be their representative to the UESA.

Unfortunately, in 175 AC, Heero Yuy was gunned down while trying to attend a peace conference. Just about every colonist was pissed off. That guy was loved by many – and a lot were convinced that there was some sort of shadow organization within the UESA that sent out the assassin.

Me? Oh, I wasn't born till 180 AC. But there's still something I need to get to before I start telling you my life story. And it's this: The Mobile Suit.

Did I lose you?

Don't worry. That can happen. Remember Voltron? The Power Rangers? Those Transformer dudes? Well, the robots in those shows are a lot like Mobile Suits – human-shaped, as well as big. Only they don't split into different parts or turn into cars or planes...

...usually...

The UESA came up with this weapon of war – a 17-meter high human-shaped robot, with space for the pilot to drive the thing inside a cockpit in the torso. The first model, a big green, faceless one, was known as the Leo – but looked nothing like the lion in the zodiac that inspired it.

On with the remainder of the exposition, though. Don't worry. We're almost done.

In 180 AC, I was born... and soon dumped onto the steps of the local orphanage. Sucks, doesn't it? At about the same time, somewhere on Earth, a small country known as the Cinq Kingdom separated itself from the government, declaring itself not only neutral, but advocating 'total pacifism.' No weapons or an army of any sort.

Needless to say, when the UESA got fed up with the Cinq Kingdom and it's leader, King Peacecraft, there wasn't much fighting to be done. If I remember my history correctly, the fighting took less than a week – but more time than it took Germany to conquer France in World War II back in the AD era. This also ticked a lot of people off, both on Earth and in space.

Anyway, thanks for reading this – I wouldn't have included it, if not for my editor saying that we needed this. You can go on ahead and read the next chapter.

You know, the reason you bought this book – to read about me, Duo Maxwell.


	3. The Birth of Death

Chapter 1: The Birth of Death

Ok... finally that stupid intro is over with...

We've just jumped forward about 5 years – it's now 187AC, and I'm on the streets of a colony with several other orphans, about 15 total. Our colony is in the L2 sector – one of 5 colony sectors in space – but I don't recall the exact colony number... To be honest, it may have been any L2 colony...

Anyway, those other orphans I was with, we were a family of sorts. We'd look out for one another, making sure we all had food, drink and a place to sleep at night. We even had fun sometimes.

Now, before I go on, I really should tell you all something – my name really isn't Duo. I don't have a name, never did. I never even thought of giving myself one, either. With my family, it never really mattered – we were easy to tell apart from the others. I was the one with the absurdly long brown hair and an extreme amount of energy.

However, like many things, that changed. A fellow orphan joined our group when I was 5 – he went by the name of Solo. He was 12, and really freaking cool too. I hate to say it, but I idolized the guy. I followed him around so much that the rest of the family just started calling me Duo.

What can I say? The name stuck.

I must admit, my so-called-childhood is rather blurry... I can't tell you exact dates for the most part, but I certainly remember one day...

---

Me and a few of the other kids in the group were doing what I've called a strafing run.

...sorry, I should explain that, shouldn't I?

Essentially, one orphan (not me in this case) runs by one of the many fruit stands in the Farmer's Market – grabbing something small off the carts – an apple, or orange, really. As the owner chased that kid off, the rest of us (this time, me and another orphan) would grab what we could – and run.

Usually, it went without a hitch...

...unfortunately, this time, something went wrong.

As our bait ran off – the owner close behind – I was caught red-handed. As it turns out, the owner hired some help recently – word of our tactics must have gotten around...

Before one of these three hulking masses of muscle could grab me, I ran.

_Well,_ I remember thinking, _Time to make up a new plan..._

Before I could get much further – either in my running or train of thoughts – I was derailed, literally and figuratively. I ran into someone. Someone tall.

As we fell to the ground, I remember seeing this guy's face. He was nice and serene looking, like almost nothing could faze him. He was an older guy, but his hair didn't show much gray. Also, this guy was a priest – he probably worked at the nearby Maxwell church.

I probably would have stayed and made sure he was ok, but... those hulking 'helpers' were after me, looking ready to break a limb or three of mine.

Not looking back, I pulled a 'leapfrog' – hopping quickly over the poor guy, shouting out a quick "Sorry!"

As I scampered off, I was rather surprised to see that the priest actually stopped those goons from getting to me – simply by talking to them, and asking them not to.

It was awfully nice of him, really.

Anyway, before my memory gets even more fuzzy, let's move on.

When I got to what my family called home, I was relieved – we were on thin ice with the local government, and our building was once rumored to be condemned before we took up residence within. If that really happened, though, we'd be out on the street.

But... that would soon change.

Y'see, the Earth Alliance's Military, ever since the assassination of Heero Yuy, has been occupying a lot of the colonies. Ours was one of them. In other words, we got a nice base where a park could have been.

Ah, well.

Now, a lot of the orphans in the group were abandoned for one main reason – the Earth Alliance. Some were products of a rowdy soldier having his way with a civilian, others because a trigger-happy scumbag shot a few civilians rather than soldiers. It was natural for us to want some form of payback.

Looking back, though... I suppose that breaking into their base of operations for this colony for food and supplies was kinda dumb – especially with our 'relations' with the government already strained.

I must have been insane to be one of the 5 to jump that fence. I distinctly remember bullets whizzing past my head – hitting the surrounding buildings and dirt. I wish I could say I stood my ground and fought or something...

But when you're 7 years old, and bullets start flying, you're lucky not to need a new change of underwear.

As far as I remember, no one died... although we were all rounded up and herded to the closest church.

---

I remember looking around at the interior of this church we were all in. It was the Maxwell church, down the street from where we all used to live. They used to drop off food when we couldn't get any ourselves.

I heard a noise – the priest was going to talk to all of us. I froze – and realized that that was the priest I had sorta used as a platform for my getaway a few days ago. I shrank back, hoping he didn't see me.

He did – and only smiled happily.

He cleared his throat and began speaking, his voice a quiet, yet strong one.

"Hello, my name is Father Maxwell. I think most of you know me," he paused to look at me and his smile grew, "...through one method or another. The government isn't happy with that stunt you pulled earlier, so you're all to stay here. We're to act as your orphanage – providing you all food, drink and rooms to sleep – until..."

We grew quiet, although one of the leaders spoke up, "Until what, mister?"

Father Maxwell's face seemed to fall slightly as he finished his sentence, "...until you're all adopted."

Everyone froze. Adoption?

Father Maxwell smiled again, continuing, "Don't worry. I'll personally make sure that each family is as nice as possible to you all. I promise. But..." he held his arms out, "Until then, welcome to the Maxwell Church. Please, make yourselves at home."

As the days past, many of the orphans were adopted – taken away from their family, as it were, to become part of a new one. All but yours truly, that is. I wound up not being chosen for one reason or another. Maybe it was because they didn't like my bright green eyes studying everything I saw, or my ridiculously long hair – now tied up in one of the longest braids in existence. Maybe it was even the fact that I now wore the preacher's clothing as my own – right down to the white collar.

Regardless, it got annoying – but at least I had a new family. The church itself. They looked after me, made sure I was fed, clothed and even helped me with my schoolwork.

However, that would soon change...


	4. The Maxwell Church Tragedy

If Braids Could Kill... Confessions of a Gundam Pilot

Chapter 2

Remember how I said that my life would one day change? Well... now you get to read about it. It was about a year later, tops. Someone in the colonies got the bright idea to stage a rebellion against the Earth Alliance's armed forced inhabiting the colonies. This wasn't just the colony I was on, either. There was a rebellion somewhere in the L1 area, as well as the L5 area. But, I'm not gonna talk about them - I only cared about what the hell was going on outside my very adopted home.

No mobile suits were involved at the time, but just about every other manner of personal weapon was. There were soldiers just about everywhere on both sides - with machine guns, tanks and so forth. It got so bad that, not only was school cancelled, no one was allowed out of their house. It went double for the church, which also would take in the occasional injured civilian or even soldier.

After a week of this shit, the fighting was beginning to die down. The bodies lying along the streets were finally being picked up by the local authorities, and the new bodies joining them mostly belonged to the rebels. It was around this time that one of the nuns, Sister Helen, asked me if I believed in God. Despite her being almost a mother to me, I decided to answer her truthfully. What happened next I distinctly remember, like many things that would happen in the following years.

"Y-you say there's no God?" was her slightly bewildered response. Her eyes were wide, and I swear that she almost fell off her chair. Father Maxwell was behind me, and I could almost feel him smirking softly.

My response was quick: "Yeah! If there really was a God, then wouldn't he make it so there weren't any more wars? And if there were no more wars..." I paused, looking down, "there wouldn't be any more orphans like me..."

Father Maxwell's face fell slightly, "Duo, wars aren't started by God, but people..." I remember he looked pained, like somehow he knew exactly what I was feeling, "What people begin...." his eyes closed shut, "people must end for themselves..."

I distinctly remember being confused from his words, "So... it doesn't matter if God exists or not?"

Sister Helen looked completely shocked now, "T-t-that's not true!"

Despite the protest, I continued, "Then the only God in this world is the God of Death."

Sister Helen looked truly disappointed, "Duo... you don't believe in God, but you believe in the God of Death?"

I distinctly remember laughing, happy at being right, "Yeah! I've never seen any miracles, but I sure have seen a lot of dead people!"

There was a long pause, then Father Maxwell began to laugh, "I guess you are right, Duo."

I remember thinking that this was a good life - who needed family when the church could take care of me?

Man, was I naive.

Finally, the day that changed my life, a day I'll never forget, rolled around...

The day the smiles disappeared from everyone's faces...

I remember waking up a few days after that nice conversation you just read, hearing these rhythmic pounding sounds echoing throughout the colony. Running to the open window, I saw the Earth Alliance had unleashed their 'trump card' - the mobile suit.

As you may recall, the mobile suit is somewhat like Voltron, the Transformers, or even the Power Rangers - only it's for one person. This model I saw outside my window was the Leo suit. This one was about 17 meters high - 65 feet off the ground, and was painted this strange olive green. As it paced down the street, it's blank face searching presumably looking for more rebels.

When I say 'face,' it was really just a flat panel in place of an actual face - where the camera sat, displaying information to the pilot in the center of the torso. This Leo suit even had a gun sized for it - a rather large machine gun sitting in its hands like a grizzled war veteran.

I remember watching this suit from my second-story window with a combination of awe and disgust - awe in the way the mobile suit looked, and disgust in the fact that these Leo suits were being deployed inside the colony.

It was then that I heard some noise going on downstairs - a scuffle or something. Getting on my clothes, I ran downstairs and into the chapel to see what the hell was going on. As I got closer, I heard voices. One voice was Father Maxwell, and he was obviously talking to someone.

"...Mobile suits..."

Ok, so I didn't hear much, so sue me.

As I snuck closer, I was able to figure out what they wanted.

"If only we could get our hands on a mobile suit," one of the men said, "then we could pay back the Alliance for all they've done."

Something sounded familiar in those words, and I thought...

_It's starting all over again._

_We were all living happily until a little while ago..._

Father Maxwell walked forward, simply replying with calm words: "Didn't Heero Yuy once say: 'We, the people of the colonies, didn't come to live in space so we could fight?' No matter what happens, we must not fight."

One of the men - presumably the leader looked outraged, "Bastard! I dare you to say it again!" he took a step forward, looking ready to pummel the Father. So, he did - and received a beating for it.

Sister Helen ran to his side, shoving away the soldiers, "Stop it, please!"

"Do you think they're Alliance spies?"

"It's possible."

"Should we make them confess?"

Something within me snapped at that moment - my family was in danger...!

"Hey!"

Before I knew what I had done, I was out in the middle of the room - looking what I hoped was very pissed off. That man had abused Sister Helen and Father Maxwell, and they were family to me... "All you guys want is just one mobile suit?!" I asked incredulously, half ready to run if anyone pointed a gun at me. The leader only looked at me, slightly confused.

"I'll go steal one for you! And in return, I want you guys to leave - this is supposed to be a peaceful place!"

The leader scoffed, adjusting his sunglasses, "The kid's talking nonsense."

I took a deep breath and said, trying to sound confident, "My name's Duo, Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie - like you guys." Before anyone could react, I was out the door, "One mobile suit! Coming right up!"

I ran - my body was on autopilot. My mind, however, was elsewhere... As best as I can remember, what went through my brain was...

_Dammit!_

_Dammit!_

_DAMMMIT!_

_Why?_

_Everyone used to HATE war a few weeks ago! Why go start another one?_

I climbed up and leapt over the fence into the Alliance's military compound - the same one from that last failed raid me and the others had tried to do – you know, last chapter. That felt like ages ago as I ran faster, zipping behind several guards standing at attention while others fought the rebels a few meters off.

_I hate the Alliance too!_

_But...._

_But still!_

One of the soldiers noticed me, calling for me to halt. I didn't. Gunshots chased after me for a few minutes – maybe some rebels killed him, maybe someone ordered him to stop. I didn't care which.

_If you all want a war so much, then why don't you jerks all go fight each other!_

_...they keep making more orphans like me..._

I came across a garage-like building. That had to be it; not stopping, I ducked inside. There they were... About 5 mobile suits, all on their flatbed trucks, the engines running. Not even bothering to stop and think, I ran for the first truck - speeding past some Alliance soldiers.

"H-hey!"

I slammed the flatbed truck into gear, driving the truck pell-mell out of the garage.

At this moment, a thought burst through my head:

_I'm only alive through luck, anyway. If someone's gonna do the dirty work, it should be me._

More gunshots rang out behind me, creepy sounds made as bullets ricochet off the truck in various places - some even hitting the stuff around me in the cab of the truck.

I needed new underwear.

A guard about 100 yards ahead of me opened fire - bullets spraying the windshield and ripping the seat next to me to shreds.

I REALLY needed new underwear.

I pulled the truck to a stop about a block away from the church. I leapt out, running toward my home of a few months - expecting to see the steeple of the church stick out from the surrounding buildings....

But...

I didn't. I didn't see the steeple.

I rounded the corner, almost falling down - hoping to see what the hell was going on.

What I saw, I'll never forget, no matter how much I'll try:

The Maxwell Church was in ruins... complete ruins... The bodies of the clergy and soldiers...

I froze. Just to the left, Father Maxwell and Sister Helen lay, not moving, surrounded by rubble.

You know, I wish I could say I've forgotten about this day by now – or, at least, a portion of it – but, I still remember it all:

Father Maxwell's body was crushed by falling debris - maybe he tried to save Sister Helen, or she him. I couldn't think, didn't want to think. I ran to her side, hoping that she was still alive. Before I got there, though, she spoke:

"D-duo.... I'm glad you're safe..."

She was alive. I knelt at her side, tears stinging my eyes.

"Don't make us worry like that," I remember her saying, "Father was... worried about you... even till the end..."

I stood up quickly, "I'll go get a doctor!"

"T-the Alliance came... and attacked...." She paused - taking a ragged breath, "But, we couldn't.... couldn't leave the church...."

Part of myself was getting angry - not with her, but myself, "Was it my fault? Because I stole that mobile suit?" I gestured angrily to that truck a block down - the mobile suit still beneath the covering cloth.

She ignored me, blood slowly trickling out of the corner of her mouth, "Father was so noble... H-he kept on preaching peace..."

I shook my head, angry, "That's not noble! That's just dumb!" I turned away, "...what's the point if he's dead now?"

Her hand brushed against my cheek, it felt cold... like ice...

"D-duo... may you have God's blessing..." and then...

Sister Helen fell silent, never to move again.

From there, my memories are a complete blank. I wish I could tell you what happened for the next few hours, considering that this is my Autobiography and everything, but it's a complete blank. I only remember that I woke up several days later in an Alliance prison - but was released in a few days.

That would turn out to be a serious mistake for them...


	5. Introducing Deathscythe!

If Braids Could Kill...

Chapter 3

About a week after that horrid incident at the Maxwell Church, I finally found out the truth: the attack was a mistake - the Church was to be left alone. But, when the rebels decided to overrun the church, more or less forcing me to get that damned mobile suit, that was called off.

I was able to find news records about what was labeled 'the Maxwell Church Incident,' but that didn't help at all. What I saw was what I ran into soon after the event - bodies and wreckage. What I did find out, though, kinda shocked me: 245 people were killed in that melee in the colony, and it was called a victory by the Earth Alliance and their crack troop organization, Oz. Think the black-ops group for the United States military from the 20th century AD, and you'll have a decent idea as to what they were.

In the years that followed, I merely wandered the L2 colony area - stowing away on the occasional cargo shuttle or passenger craft. I was able to train myself in the art of stealth and sneakery - you know, the quiet stuff. I taught myself how to pick locks, hide in cargo containers and sneak food off without being caught.

Yeah, yeah, I was caught at first, I only got slapped on the wrist because I was a kid. But I got used to it - and was determined as hell to just meander about the L2 colony area. Eventually, though, I got caught – in a rather bad way – and something rather odd happened with my life.

---

I was trying to break into one of many civilian shuttle-carrier things traveling about the L2 area. Ok, ok, nothing new, right? Well, as I said before, this one was kinda different - there was an actual security system on the lock for the auxiliary door. It was one of those electric keypad locks, with the numbers 0-9 as well as a # and . Of course, it wasn't really secure. Within about a minute, I had the lock 'picked,' and was in. What I found, though, was a little more unusual...

Or, rather, what I didn't find.

I was expecting the interior to look a lot like one of those old passenger airlines from a while ago. You know, an aisle or two right down the center of the plane, separating rows of comfy seats. Things like TV and movies would be shown on the multiple TV screens and so forth. Of course, there would also be the impatient passengers, as well as the occasional crying child and crap like that. Well, there were just a few different things here...

One, there was none of the stuff I just described. The plane was mostly empty, with only a few seats and computer consoles scattered about the damn thing.

Two, there were no passengers in the literal sense. Well, there were, but... these guys were in military uniforms. Most of them, anyway - I'll get to that other guy later. But the remaining guys? They were all in crisp uniforms, and in crew cuts and so forth.

And third? They all had guns. Many guns, pointed at me.

You know, if I was 7 again - instead of 12 like I was now - I would have needed a new pair of underwear. I got an odd sense of nostalgia at that feeling, too.

In the center of the military men sat this old geezer. It was one hell of an odd sight: this grizzled old man who's head bore more resemblance to a freaky mushroom than a normal human head. His face, what little I could see from the mushroom-like style of his hair, had a large scar running down the side of his face, as well as a huge nose. The old guy didn't seem perturbed by my rather sudden entrance, either.

"I'm impressed, kid." the old guy said, waving aside the many guns, "You snuck aboard - my security system should have been near-perfect. How did you do it?"

Yeah, that was the key word: 'near.' It was rather easy for me: people leave fingerprints whenever they touch something with ungloved hands. Using a simple children's fingerprinting kit, I was able to find out what 4 buttons made the combination for the lock, and it took about a minute total for me to get in.

"That's a trade secret," I remember smirking happily, then added, "If it helps your pride, though, I'll say it was pretty tough."

The grizzled old guy only smiled as he replied, "You're a pretty interesting kid, what's your name?"

I could only beam with pride as I told him what I had told so many before, "I'm no kid! My name's Duo, Duo Maxwell, who may run and hide, but I never tells a lie."

Mushroom-head smiled grimly, "Maxwell? As in the demon who survived that church massacre?"

"Nope, not just a demon - I'm the God of Death."

My career as someone more than a drifter or a thief had begun anew. Of course, I had no clue what was gonna happen to me, but at least it would be interesting.

---

For those of you who are wondering exactly what this turn in life had in store for me, you're about to find out. Turns out that this old dude went by the name of 'Professor G,' and was in the process of building a new form of Mobile Suit - something called a Gundam.

From what I would later learn, it's almost the same as the Leo - that suit I mentioned earlier - but it's not. It's about the same height, 17 meters high, but a lot more ornate. Well, at least this one was. When I looked at the design plans for this thing, I noticed that it was actually a number 2. That meant there was at least one other 'Gundam' being built.

Sorry, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm betting you're thinking what the hell is going on, right? Well, it turns out that Professor G was working for a well-known company in space, the Barton Foundation. And that the leader of the Barton Foundation, a man named Dekim Barton, wanted revenge against the Earth Alliance for the death of Heero Yuy from so many years ago.

Boy, now that I look back at the entire situation, it really sounds cliché. You know, a conspiracy of vengeance against a government for a conspiracy that killed a man who advocated peace. Like a bad TV show or something.

Anyway, Professor G took a liking to me and, despite Dekim Barton's objections, made me the pilot of his Gundam - the Deathscythe.

---

Ok, now I'm getting nostalgic...

Deathscythe, as it's name suggests, had a scythe. Dead serious. Deathscythe had a semi-gothic look to it, with mostly black and white colors and yellow trim.

The head of Deathscythe looked very ornate, looking somewhat like a roman centurion helmet, minus the frilly red crap on top, but there was a yellow 'V' shape on the forehead that made it look somewhat like the helmet off a Samurai Warrior. Unlike the Leo, or any other Oz Mobile Suit, Gundam Deathscythe had a face. It wasn't much of one - just two eyes and a plate that looked like it was covering the rest of the face - but it was enough to look completely different.

The torso was mostly black, nice and stealthy. There was some yellow detailing around the edge of the shoulders, but the primary color on the shoulders was black. There was a 'backpack' on the back of Deathscythe as well - this was a jetpack, allowing Deathscythe to either glide through space or jump through the atmosphere. The door to the cockpit was in the middle of the chest, like with all Mobile Suits, was well-armored and pretty much an open target. At the very least, the armor surrounding the cockpit would protect the pilot from any radiation from the nuclear core powering Deathscythe.

On the left arm, there was a nice shield-like thing. It was bigger than the forearm of the Mobile Suit, and was also mostly black. However, there was a yellow cross on the shield itself, as well as a steel-colored pair of scissors attacked to the end of the shield. The rest of the body looked semi-normal, again with the black and white color scheme.

The weaponry for Deathscythe, as I already said, was a scythe. With the color scheme, it really invoked images of Death - something that I assume Professor G had to do with. However, unlike all those images of Death in the past, Deathscythe's scythe was not a physical one. What I mean is that it was a beam-based scythe. You know, like one of those Star Wars lightsabers. A similar thing would happen when the scissors on the shield were used - a dagger-like beam would slide out and the shield could be used as a projectile, or as another melee weapon.

Something else I should mention: attached to the so-called backpack of this Mobile Suit were two little shoulder-mounted flashlight things that Professor G called 'Hyper Jammers,' an item that was supposed to jam radar and sonar.

Oh, crap. One last thing: The reason why it's called a Gundam - and not a Mobile Suit. See, in about 183 AC, a scientist discovered a way to combine several metals into an alloy that he called Gundanium. This material was lightweight, semi-flexible, and resistant to most forms of attack - including the usual machine-guns and the Star-Wars-like laser pistols for the normal Mobile Suits.

---

Anyway, the days I spent in training with the Barton Foundation turned into months. But, you wanna know something? In all this time, training for three years, no one told me what the true objective of all this conspiring and plotting was for.

Hell, when I asked what we were doing, all I got was a cryptic response involving something called 'Operation Meteor.' Well, in 195 AC, I finally got to see what the hell this was all about. It was just me and Professor G, and we were doing some of the final tests on Deathscythe's movement system deep within our hidden 'garage.'

"W-wait..." I remember saying in complete disbelief, "Operation Meteor involves not just one, but five Gundams going to Earth?"

Professor G nodded in reply, then decided to tell me everything, "That's not quite all, Duo. See, not only are there five Gundams - one from each sector - there's also gonna be another thing going on at the same time..." clearing his throat, the old professor continued, "A colony deep within the L5 sector is scheduled to undergo demolition. Dekim Barton has decided to not blow it up... and put it to 'better' use."

I blinked several times, my brain struggling to figure out what else it could be used for, when it hit me, "He... he's gonna drop it onto Earth?"

Professor G only nodded, then filled me in on the rest. See, Dekim Barton had the idea that if we drop a colony onto Earth, he could follow that up with sending 5 Gundams (mine included) down and take over in the resulting anarchy. There was, of course, a major problem with the whole idea behind Operation Meteor:

"But.... God only knows how many people will die!"

The professor's head lowered sadly, "Too many - but it's a price we will have to pay at one point or another..."

---

As Professor G walked off, I stayed in the cockpit of Deathscythe, trying to make sense of the plan, maybe even rationalize it. No matter how much my mind wrapped around it, no matter what I tried to do, there was no way my conscious brain would let me do it. As much as I wanted vengeance against the Earth's government, I just couldn't be involved in a massacre that would claim the lives of many more innocents - making more orphans like myself.

It was at that moment that my mission became clear - to stop Operation Meteor, at all costs.


	6. Operation Meteor

If Braids Could Kill... Chapter 4

As the days turned into weeks, I learned more about Operation Meteor - as Dekim Barton planned. A colony located in the L5 sector would be put out of balance - sending it careening towards the Earth. In theory, the colony would... er... land around the northern hemisphere. And, while the impact would not be enough to cause all life to cease, the colony would be enough to kill about a third of the world's population, allowing me and the other four Gundams to take the over the planet... all in the name of revenge.

As I said before, there was no way in hell I was gonna take part in that. As I saw it, I had about three options:

One? I steal Deathscythe - hard enough to do, considering that (aside from myself and Professor G), there were about 50 or so workers helping out with the fine-adjustments on my Gundam. Anyway, after I steal 'my' Gundam, I 'd head off to the headquarters of the Barton Foundation myself - colony L3 X-18999 - and finish this nonsense at the source.

Two? I steal Deathscythe and stop the colony from falling in the first place somehow - even during re-entry if possible.

Three? I steal Deathscythe, and... What? I like stealing. Anyway, worst case scenario? I'd ride my Gundam down after the colony impact and kill the other pilots, if necessary. If they had the same opinions as me, I guess we'd join up.

I may not have said this before, but I suck at planning.

And I like to steal.

Aside from that, there wasn't much I could think up. The days turned into weeks - the day of Operation Meteor was inching closer...

...and I still had no clue how to carry out any of those three ideas. Until, one day, a different idea finally came to me.

It turns out that there was a shipment of plastique explosives that hadn't been utilized in any way, shape or form. Within a day, I figured a way to use them: destroy Deathscythe. Ok, ok, so it wasn't quite as good as the other ideas, but there was no way I could figure out how I could actually use those other plans. And besides, if I took out the entire base, it just might throw Dekim's plans off enough for him to fail.

Besides, it's not like Professor G would just let me take Deathscythe, anyway.

---

Finally, the night before Operation Meteor arrived.

I wish I could say I was resolved to my apparently imminent death, but I wasn't. To be completely honest, I was shaking in my shoes and my heart banged against my ribcage.

After everyone went home for the night, I stayed to put the final preparations on my plan to finish off Deathscythe.

Walking out of the garage holding Deathscythe, I made my way over to the holding unit that had those explosives I mentioned – locked away in a closet of that unit. As I opened the door, I found that the explosives were just as I'd left them.

Within the half-hour, everything was ready. I figured placing the plastique about Deathscythe's body equally would set off the nuclear core powering the Mobile Suit, destroying everything in this base, if not the military colony we were based on. My job completed, I scampered off to 'hide.' Granted, there wasn't a place to hide if the explosives went off, but it made me feel safer.

"So..." my thoughts exited my mouth, as if to leave some form of lasting impression on the world, "This'll end everything, will it?"

I pressed the button on the detonator.

Nothing happened. I was shocked - what the hell happened?

"Why won't you explode?" Frustrated, I hit the detonation button repeatedly, as if that might help.

"Duo..."

Professor G? Whirling about, I saw Professor G - mushroom head and all - standing there, holding the detonator pins for the plastique. He let them fall to the floor, continuing, "Deathscythe is a piece of art... I'm not about to let you blow it up."

I remember standing my ground, "I won't let my buddy here," I paused to jerk a thumb in the direction of Deathscythe, "be used as a pawn for mass murder."

Without asking, the old guy reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the other item I'd brought along with me - a pistol. He grinned grimly, "You were gonna kill me if this didn't work?"

I must have looked resigned to my fate - I knew something bad was gonna happen to me in one form or another... "If Operation Meteor gets carried out, it'll be the end of peace for everyone - if I can stop that, or even slow it down, I'd gladly be the God of Death any day."

A smile snuck up the elderly man's face as he said something that shocked me completely: "Then why don't you outsmart me, Duo? Why don't you steal Deathscythe?" He tossed my pistol back at me - I caught it and pocketed it, "Forget Operation Meteor - go to Earth on your own. Of course, go as the God of Death."

I smiled as I walked back to the Deathscythe to remove the explosives from his armor, "God of Death sounds a hell of a lot better than 'Mass Murderer.'"

---

I climbed into the cockpit of Deathscythe - and there was a note waiting for me on the console. I read:

"Duo, you may not be a part of Operation Meteor anymore, but I have one last mission for you: Destroy the main motor in the Alliance's North American Weapons Factory. Beware, though. Not all the Alliance is 'evil' - your main target is the sub-division named Oz. They alone are responsible for most, if not all, of the problems in space. Get them before they get you.

Also, when you finish that 'mission,' there's a man named Howard living near Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Find him, and he'll take care of you and Deathscythe.

Good luck."

Grinning wide, strapped myself in, "Look out Earth, here comes the God of Death!"

I flipped the three switches that started up Deathscythe's core, and it felt comfortable hearing the steady hum in the background as I saw lights turn on and systems activate.

I think I should tell you folks out there what the control scheme for Deathscythe is right now. Basically, there's two foot pedals - left foot and right foot; pressing hard on them makes 'him' run, pushing softly walks. On either side of my 'command chair' there are two joysticks. Those allow me to do things like use the scythe, fire off my projectile shield-thing, or anything else I can think of. Also, there are random buttons on control consoles in the cockpit - some for radio contact, one for activating those radar-jamming 'Hyper Jammers,' and even a Self-detonation device in case I'm captured by the enemy.

Of course, I don't wanna use that button right away - I don't plan on dying anytime soon.

Pushing the foot pedals forward, I made Deathscythe stand up, making one last system check. All green.

I turned on the external P.A. system with the flick of a switch, saying one last goodbye, "Thanks, Professor G!"

With that, I moved Deathscythe over towards the re-entry capsule that would take me to Earth.

This capsule wasn't like those escape pods you see in sci-fi movies - it was large. And it kinda looked like those eggs that pantyhose comes in... Anyway, the hatch on the side of the egg-thing was open, and Deathscythe slid inside perfectly.

Pressing three buttons on me right made the hatch close, and the launch countdown began. I quickly input the coordinates of the Alliance base I was to attack and sat back as the computer did the rest.

As the egg rumbled to life, I couldn't help but wonder: Would those other Gundam pilots rebel against Operation Meteor like I am? Would Dekim go through with that insane plan? Hell, would I even make it through the atmosphere?

The pod slid out into open space, and adjusted itself for Earth. I sat back in my seat and slowly drifted off to sleep as the rockets fired - sending me and the machines to the blue and green planet below.


End file.
